1 Samuel 15:23 (DRB)

Passage

Because it is like the sin of witchcraft, to rebel: and like the crime of idolatry, to refuse to obey. Forasmuch, therefore, as thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord hath also rejected thee from being king.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 15:21 But the people took of the spoils, sheep and oxen, as the firstfruits of those things that were slain, to offer sacrifice to the Lord their God in Galgal.

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said: Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifices: and to hearken rather than to offer the fat or rams.

1 Samuel 15:23 Because it is like the sin of witchcraft, to rebel: and like the crime of idolatry, to refuse to obey. Forasmuch, therefore, as thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord hath also rejected thee from being king.

1 Samuel 15:24 And Saul said to Samuel: I have sinned, because I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words, fearing the people, and obeying their voice.

1 Samuel 15:25 But now bear, I beseech thee, my sin, and return with me, that I may adore the Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "like", "witchcraft", "rebel", "crime", "idolatry", "refuse", and "obey". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "like" and "witchcraft", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "And Samuel said Doth the Lord desire..." into verse 24's "And Saul said to Samuel I have...", so "like" and "witchcraft" belong inside that flow. In 1 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "like" and "witchcraft" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.